Basic Cluster Template (None)

Overview

The None (Basic) template creates a plain Kubernetes cluster with no additional software stack. Use this template when you need a standard Kubernetes cluster and plan to install your own tools or run custom workloads.

Accessing the cluster

Bridge provides two ways to work with your cluster after it is created:

• Download kubeconfig — You can download the cluster kubeconfig file from the cluster menu (see Step 6). Use this file to access the cluster from your local machine or external tools (e.g., kubectl, IDEs, or CI/CD pipelines) by setting KUBECONFIG or merging the file into your default kubeconfig.

• Kubectl Terminal — The Kubectl Terminal feature in Bridge lets you interact directly with the Kubernetes cluster from the Bridge UI. You do not need to log in to the cluster separately from an external terminal. With this feature you can:

  • Run kubectl commands directly from the UI
  • Manage and monitor cluster resources without switching to a separate command-line environment
  • Perform cluster operations from the Bridge UI and save time

This guide covers:

• Configuring cluster name, version, and CNI
• Selecting the None template and cluster nodes
• Monitoring creation until the cluster is Running
• Downloading kubeconfig, viewing nodes and GPUs, and using the Kubectl Terminal

Prerequisites

• Tenant Admin access — Log in as a Tenant Admin to create clusters.
• Compute resources — Bare Metal or Virtual Machine resources allocated to your tenant.
• Port-forward on Bridge node — For cluster creation to succeed, port-forward must be running on the Bridge-deployed node (see note below).

Port-forward for cluster creation

Run the port forwarding on the Bridge node so that cluster creation can complete.

kubectl -n amcop-system port-forward --address 0.0.0.0 svc/ingress-ingress-nginx-controller 443:443

• Keep this command running during cluster creation.
• If you do not have access to the Bridge node, contact your Bridge Super Administrator.

Create a Basic Cluster

Step 1: Start Cluster Creation

1. Log in to Armada Bridge as a Tenant Admin.
2. In the left sidebar, open Compute → Cluster.
3. Click Create Cluster.

Step 2: Configure Cluster Details

1. Enter a name and description for the cluster.
2. Select the Kubernetes version.
3. Select the CNI plugin. Bridge supports Flannel and Cilium.
4. (Optional) Enable Install NVIDIA GPU tools if you want GPU tooling on the cluster.
5. Click Next.

Step 3: Select Cluster Template

1. Select the cluster template None.
2. Click Next.

Step 4: Select Nodes and Create

1. Select the cluster nodes (Bare Metal or Virtual Machine).
2. Click Create to start cluster creation.

Step 5: Monitor Cluster Creation

Cluster creation runs through several states. Wait until the status is Running.

1. Initializing Control Planes — Status shows Processing.
2. Initializing Workers — Status remains Processing.
3. When creation completes, the Status shows Running.

Step 6: Download Kubeconfig

1. Click the menu (ellipsis) icon for the cluster.
2. Select Kubeconfig to download the cluster kubeconfig file.

Step 7: View Cluster Details and Access Tools

Click the cluster name to open the cluster detail view.

• Overview — Cluster information, and options to scale the cluster, download kubeconfig, access the dashboard, and delete the cluster.

  

• Nodes — Details of the nodes allocated to the cluster.

  

• GPUs — GPUs allocated to the cluster.

  

• Kubectl Terminal — Click the Kubectl Terminal (arrow) icon to access the cluster from the browser.

  

note

Ensure all pods are in Running state before using the cluster for workloads. In the Kubectl Terminal, run the following to check pod status across all namespaces:

kubectl get pods -A

Next Steps

• Application Deployment
• Kubernetes Upgrade
• Cluster Scaling